Club Random with Bill Maher - Michael Franzese | Club Random

Episode Date: February 16, 2025

Bill Maher sits down with former Colombo crime family capo, podcaster, and best-selling author Michael Franzese for a fascinating exploration of organized crime, current politics, and America’s shifting cultural landscape. From comparing Mafia code to modern government maneuvering, to dissecting the psychology of leaders, the two dive headlong into the forces shaping American life. Franzese shares candid reflections on his days running lucrative schemes (and why he ultimately walked away), while Bill challenges the notion of how power truly works. They also swap favorite scenes from The Godfather and Goodfellas, delve into Franzese’s religious awakening, how lessons from the mob world can translate into navigating business, politics, and personal relationships. Get ready for a raw, riveting sit-down that blurs the lines between comedy, true crime, and social commentary. Go to https://www.RadioactiveMedia.com or text RANDOM at 511511 to save up to 50%, today! Get started at https://www.factormeals.com/random50off and use code random50off to get 50% off your first box plus free shipping. Follow Club Random on IG: @ClubRandomPodcast Follow Bill on IG: @BillMaher Don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast for free wherever you're listening or by using this link: https://bit.ly/ClubRandom Watch Club Random on YouTube: https://bit.ly/ClubRandomYouTube Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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The key to this country is we have to be able to like have that and then go let's talk about other things like how many guys you killed. Why do people say Vegas was better when the mob ran? 100%. 100%. You know that? Were you there? Absolutely. Absolutely. Godfather.

Finally. I swear to God, I didn't know it was a hit. This is years in the making. Why? Because I've always wanted to meet you. Oh, really? I'll tell you what happened. I was running to avoid you. Good really? I'll tell you what happened. I was running to avoid you.

Good idea, no I'm kidding. About 25 years ago, you were in a movie theater, we were in a movie theater together in Westwood. Okay. And I was gonna come up to you then, and something happened, I don't know, and then you were gone. I just wanted to say hello.

Oh, well yeah, I never hang around the movie theater when the movie's over. I'm always gone, I just... You were gone quick. Well, what were you gonna say 25 years ago? Hello, how are you? Oh, okay. Enjoying you? Oh good, I'm glad.

Yeah, it was gonna be nice and cordial. Thank you for making the time, and congratulations on being such a success in this field. Appreciate that. It's interesting podcasting, isn't it, that like the biggest subject, maybe the two biggest are what we're into, comedy and crime.

Absolutely. It is crazy. Some people would say they're often the same. I'm not one of those people. But yeah, and who knows more about crime than you? I guess that depending upon what side of the fence you are, you could say that's either good or a bad thing. I've certainly had a lot of experience with it.

I think it's a bad thing. I'm with the law, generally. Although, of course, as we all know, very often the people on the side of the law are the biggest criminals. I wrote a book mafia democracy I have a copy for you right here. Oh good, and you're gonna read this book now. I'll tell you something mafia democracy Now I wrote this a year and a half ago. It wasn't current, but I mean not not today but bill when you read that book you're gonna see that this is exactly how our government is operating, just like the mob. In some ways, yeah.

I mean, come on, that's a bit of an exaggeration. I can tell you many ways the government doesn't act just like the mob, but you're not without a point. As far as, I mean, what is the mob basically based on? It's based on the old idea of the Roman Empire's protection racket. The Roman Empire was a protection racket.

I mean, they would go, they would, you know, would you like to live? Oh, well, it's gonna cost you. Would you like to keep your grocery store from burning down? It's gonna cost you. That's the protection racket. There is some of that in government. I mean, what would, you tell me, you wrote the book,

what are some examples of that? To me, it's just all about power and control, Bill. Now that's vague, you're gonna have to do better. Well, power and control, meaning that these people get into office, they get intoxicated with the power, they never wanna leave, as evidenced by most of our congresspeople.

And they enrich themselves. Yeah, but give me a specific example of how the government acts like the mafia. Well there again. I mean, it's all about what are we all about? We wanted to make money and we wanted to stay in control of people. And the government operates the same way, in my opinion. Give me an example. I mean, listen, I don't throw one blanket

over everybody in government. There are honest people there, I'm not saying that. But I think the mechanism has now become really all about power and control. You know, why do I- But surely there must be examples if you wrote a whole book out of it, where it's like, you know what,

at the Department of Labor, they did this. No, I'm not gonna, I won't be specific like that, but listen. And it can only go with you so far. Okay. You gotta be specific. Let me ask you this. You're making an accusation like that.

All right, let me ask you this. Politicians, many of them come into the money, come into power, they're middle-class people, they don't have a lot of money, and they go out millionaires, multi-millionaires, many of them. How do you explain that? Oh, no, there is graft. Yeah.

I mean, that characterizes, well, finally, we have a guy in office who that does characterize. Who's that? Donald Trump. You may have heard of him. He won the election again. Yeah, but he had money before he came into office. We have a guy in office who that does characterize. Who's that? Donald Trump. You may have heard of him. He won the election again. Yeah, but he had money before he came into office.

He didn't come into government to make money. Yeah. Are you fucking kidding me? No, he didn't. First of all, in his first term, we thought, oh, this is as bad as it can get with the graft because he did things that no president ever done, like kept all his assets. People were staying, foreign dignitaries and leaders were staying at his hotels.

That's outrageous. And then he upped that. He put out a mean coin and made $58 billion the day before he took office. All right, but he was a billionaire when he went into office. Yeah, well, we didn't even know that because he's such a liar that we have no idea what he was. He certainly acted rich, and he certainly was rich by any people's sentence. He had his own plane.

But we don't know. I mean, he wouldn't release his taxes. He was rich, and he likes getting richer. And he has no qualms about enriching himself in this office. I'm just saying this is new, but it's not new in many other countries in the world. They say Putin is probably worth 40 billion. We only get that from literally robbing the Treasury, when the Treasury and your personal bank account are basically the same thing.

And potentates have done this all over the world, Asia, Africa, the Americas. are basically the same thing. And potentates have done this all over the world, Asia, Africa, the Americas. We certainly have not been that country in general. There has been graph, never on that scale. He is, because those are the kind of people he likes, or autocrats like that. But I don't think, for example, Xi in China does that.

He doesn't need to, why would he need to? He's the leader of China. He has his own plane, he in China does that. He doesn't need to. Why would he need to? He's the leader of China. He has his own plane. He has his own palace. You can't get richer than being the president. You cannot, even if the salary was zero, because everything is provided for you. And if you want to go somewhere, you get there faster than any other person in the world. All right.

Well, let me ask you the difference. He came in as a wealthy guy. We're not counting his money, but we knew he was wealthy. What about Obama? He didn't come in wealthy. He didn't leave. What with that kind of wealth? Well, he's worth, from what I'm hearing now, he's worth $100 million.

I doubt if he's worth $100 million. That's what I heard. But that's what I heard. That's what Trump says. That's what I heard. People are saying, well, it must be true. Come on, man. Well, look at his life. Come on. Look at his lifestyle. Oh, look. I'm just saying he's not entitled to it after all, but I'm saying he became a very wealthy guy. Yeah. Okay. Well, you tend to get famous when you're the first black president in the United States.

It's kind of a big accomplishment. Okay. So,. So, you know, does he get a speaking fee? Probably gets half a million or even a million dollars speaking fee. Yeah, okay. But he didn't go in it for the money. He wasn't... We don't know that though. Oh, for fuck's sake.

We don't know that. Really. I mean, I'm gonna say that wasn't the only reason he wanted to be wealthy. He wanted to be We don't know that. Really. I mean, I'm going to say that wasn't the only reason he wanted to be wealthy. We want to be president, we get that. But I'm sure he thought about what it was going to do for him financially, too. Why not? OK.

I just don't think that was Barack Obama's motivation. I think it's something that comes along with getting to that level. If you were at that level of success in any field, yeah, you would have some financial remuneration. I mean, it's peanuts compared to what some of the, again, what Trump is doing, that the kind of money he is making from just basically selling the job. I mean, he was, for example, very much against TikTok. Let's get rid of TikTok.

Until the TikTok guy came in and said he would give a big contribution to his campaign, then he was all for TikTok. He's very transactional. He doesn't even make a secret of it. He doesn't understand how government works. He still runs it like it's a business. In some ways, that might be advantageous.

In the long run, I don't think it is. That's... What do you think of his last, the first two weeks in office? What do you think? There are some things, well, I said before he took office, I would not pre-hate anything.

Now that he's in there, there's some things I hate. And there's some things I don't hate. Okay. It's a breath of fresh air as far as like, we're gonna look at things in a way we've never looked at it before. Like maybe Gaza doesn't have to be this utter hell hole where the people are constantly attacking Israel

and they are themselves constantly being attacked by this terrorist organization that runs them like a mafia. Maybe it's a beautiful area on the beach. Maybe it could be more like Dubai. Okay, it's great to think about that, but then we're going to just take it over? Like what? We're an imperial power.

It's 1898 again, and We're just going to take over Gaza and Greenland and the Panama Canal. It's, you know. Yeah, but Bill, don't you think he just puts things out there to get a reaction from people? He's the president. You can't just put things out there. Why not? Look, he's not a podcast here. Look what he did with the tariffs. Everybody jumped up and down. All the Democrats were upset. And what did he do? He named the tariffs just to bring these people to the table. He's a business guy.

He negotiated. It's a week into the tariff thing, Michael. It's a week. We'll see. It also could fucking put us into a depression. We've had tariff wars before. 1930, right after the stock market crash, it was the worst thing for the Depression was the tariff war.

So we'll see what happens. But so far, no damage. He accomplished what he wanted to do in the short run. He brought them to the table to get security at the borders. There are people who have been damaged already because he, well, he froze all spending. People didn't get their Medicaid checks. And then he unfroze it. Okay.

Well, you just can't do it. First of all, it's illegal. You have to have, Congress has to pass the laws. He seems to forget about that part of governing this country. But yes, people, you know, we'll see. I mean, it's too early to make giant judgments. Like I say, I don't mind relooking at things. This country is bloated.

I want to see what Musk is going to do with all that. The idea of just going with a sledgehammer through everything, not thinking things through, talking about us taking over places like an imperial power again. No, I don't like that. And he just doesn't understand how this country works, or doesn't care to learn, nor can you tell him anything. I know, but you know how this country works, especially in the past couple of years, it hasn't been working well. All right, but it also, it hasn't been working well,

and it also could get worse. I think it would have gotten a lot worse had Trump not been elected as president. I'm getting that impression. A lot worse. Great, well, you know what? What did you think of Kamala? I mean, I've heard you, obviously.

What do you think of her? Do you think that she should have even been a nominee? You know, my line on her was, do I love everything? No. Not even close. The woman wasn't even competent to be. Okay, but at least she understands how the United States government works, that it's not a monarchy.

At least she concedes elections. Conceding elections is the most important thing in this country, in a democracy, and your guy doesn't do it. Let me tell you what my thoughts are, and I know where you're going with this. These Democrats for the past four years have done nothing but lie to us in every sense of the word, lied. They've totally disregarded our trust for four years. Come on. Lied to us.

You know, Biden wasn't even competent to be in that office. He didn't run the presidency. He didn't run the country. We had a shadow government basically running the country. And for me, I look at it this way. You lie to me once, OK, things happen. Second time, I don't know. Third time, forget it. Okay, things happen second time. I don't know third time. Forget it

These people have been lying constantly They don't know the truth from a lot. You find no lies in Donald Trump's history Let's put it this way forget about his history. Come on, man. No, no, no forget about his history I don't care what he did 20 years ago. I come from New York to what he did four years ago when he was president Yeah, what did he do? How did he hurt he did four years ago when he was president? Yeah. What did he do? How did he hurt the country four years ago? When he was president, how did he hurt the country? Aside from the fact that let's not go into the fraud on the election if there was or

if there wasn't, whatever. Okay. But how did he hurt the country? Well, listen to what you just said. Tell me how he hurt the country, but let's not go into the main way he did it. No, not yet. Not yet. Forget that for a moment, because that was the election at the end.

I can't forget that. Okay, but everything you- I can't forget that. Nor should I. that was the election that did it. I can't forget that. OK, but everything— I can't forget that. Nor should I. What did he do for the country? Great question. What the fuck did he do?

How was the country four years prior to Biden's administration, in your opinion? Well, OK, I mean, he would say that he had the greatest economy of all time. Basically, he had the economy he inherited, which was Obama's economy. Well, that's true. Okay. Okay. He didn't destroy it, right? He did not destroy it. No, he did not destroy it. I mean, there are people, look, he cut taxes for the rich. He cut it through the middle class also? Yeah, I understand that. But if you look at the numbers, if you look at the charts, most of it goes to the rich. Look, I'm not a communist, and I've been very hard on the left.

You have been, and I love it. Yeah, when they are wrong. What Biden did mostly, I think, wrong was that he was feeble, he was old, he had not the strength or the appetite in any way to stand up to the far left fringe of his country. So he let them do anything. I'm not against some of these things that Trump is undoing now. DEI did go way too far.

So you know, there is a, and look, people voted for him. Elections have consequences. Somebody gets, when they get an office, they have, it is their right to then go ahead and do what they said they were going to do. And he's doing that? Yeah. Oh, no, he's definitely doing what he said he was going to do. Everything that he campaigned on. I mean, I didn't hear a lot about Greenland before he won, but okay.

Yeah, I don't know where that came from either, but that's Trump. That's Trump. You know, I mean, it's no longer the Gulf of Mexico, the Gulf of America. I mean, we didn't hear any of that. I don't think that mattered to the American people, but the fact that the important things, the important things, the border, you know, the economy, let's see what he does. I mean, he's in office two weeks. I always found it amusing, the connection between the mafia and their view of America, which is very patriotic. I mean, the very first scene in The Godfather. I'm sure you

know it well. Inside out. Inside out. And what is his first line is, I think, I love America. Yeah. The undertaker who's coming to Don Corleone for justice. I love America. I came here and then he goes through the whole story about my daughter, she went out with a boyfriend

who brought another boyfriend and they treated her like an animal. And he sat in that courtroom and they laughed. How many times have you seen it? Oh, I could do it. I could. It would be. It's on every week now.

You can't miss it. Oh, I mean, it's that kind of movie where you're like, if you see two seconds of it, you go, no, no, no. I've seen this too many times. And then you're home. And then you watch the whole thing. It's amazing. But they love, but he loves America.

And Don Corleone understands, he's a little insulted because the man is asking him to commit murder because they raped his daughter. On the day of his daughter's wedding. When you can't refuse any favor that they're asking you. And he said, that is not justice. I understand. You came from this country, you found paradise. There were courts of law and police to protect you. So you didn't need a friend like me.

That's good, Bill. That's it. You didn't need a friend like me. There we are again with the protection racket. But that's it. He's competing with America. America has done for this guy what he used to do when they were first immigrants in the country. America, there are courts of law and police to protect you. You didn't need me anymore. That's so interesting to me.

But also that they really do love America. I mean, Michael Corleone, when he has to go testify, he's a war hero. He was a... Well, let me tell war hero. He was, they make- Well, let me tell you this. I was indicted seven times. I had two federal racketeering cases and a state racketeering case, and I love America. And at one time I hated the FBI and I hated the government.

I grew up hating them because I loved my dad and they were constantly harassing him in my view. Now I understand a little bit more. But didn't he kill people? Well, that's what they say. But wasn't he head of the Colombo crime family? He was the underboss. You were the head of the family?

No, I was a couple regime, a captain. Right, a captain. I mean, it was an official position. Did you ever beat yourself up for not getting the top job? Didn't want it, Bill. You didn't top job? I didn't want it, Bill. You didn't want it? You didn't want to be there? Too high profile?

I had too much of a bullseye on my back. You've got to understand, I had investigations from the time I was 20 years old. I had a 14 agency task force on me for years and kept getting these indictments. I went to trial five times. I beat every case. But aren't these investigations of you for good reason? Because you were breaking the law? Here's the thing.

Here's what they're talking about. And this is what Bondi recently said. You know, we're no longer going to use the Department of Justice to target an individual and find out what crime he's committing. That's what they said. That's what's been going on in law to target an individual and find out what crime he's committing. That's what they said. That's what's been going on in lawfare for the past couple of years. But I can almost understand it.

You know, mafia organized crime because we were allegedly criminals at that time. So hey, let me see what this guy is doing. We know he's doing something. We don't know quite what, but we'll figure it out. We'll investigate him. Because it's backwards. In our life, you didn't have a crime and then they go investigate it. They were investigating you to see what crime you

might commit. But the mafia was committing crimes. You deny that? No, I'm not saying that. Oh, extortion, long-sharking? I'm saying you could almost say, that's okay. All right, we know these guys are criminals. We don't know exactly what they're doing. We hear it, we have to find out. This is a criminal organization, so we'll target individuals and go after them.

That's, well, that's kind of okay. It was a fishing expedition where there were a lot of fish. That's a good way to put it. Okay, but do you do that to legitimate people that are not involved with organized crime? But you were involved with it. I know, no, no, but I'm saying. Oh.

I'm okay-ing that. Oh, I see. Yeah. But do you do that to legitimate people that are not involved in organized crime because you don't like them because they disagree with you? Right. They're not on your, they don't have the same agenda. No, that is wrong.

And there is some of that that does go on. Absolutely. Would you agree that a lot of it went on with Trump? With Trump. Oh, you're obsessed with Trump. I'm not obsessed with him, but I just wanna have this discussion. Oh, you're talking about lawfare. Well, I mean, it's a tough question

that he put the country in, because as president, you don't wanna go where so many other countries have gone, where the guy loses an election and now they prosecute him. Because that was- They prosecuted him while he was president also with two impeachments. Yes, because he does commit crimes.

See, this is the little fly in your ointment. Like not conceding the election, trying to get fake electors to show up when he knew and every court told him you can't do that. They went to court over 60 times, laughed out of every court, pressuring the Justice Department, calling up the guy in Georgia who was a Republican, the vote counter there, and saying to him, I need you to find 11,000 votes.

It can't be more blatant than that, that these are crimes. I would also say the Russia thing, even what he just said out loud, Russia, if you're listening, I wish you could help me with my campaign. We never did that before, Michael. You see, we ran our own campaigns. We didn't bring in ringers from the outside. It's part of the original documents

that the founding fathers Fathers wrote. We don't want any help from outside because we're going to handle this ourselves. Maybe the Republicans and the Democrats fight each other tooth and nail, but don't bring in somebody from the outside. He broke that. He broke so many laws, not to mention norms. So the idea that, well, it's just lawfare going after him. It's not lawfare if the guy actually did commit crimes.

And again, you have to weigh that against, what's the better tact? Because you don't want to become that country where as soon as somebody leaves office, they prosecute them. What the president gets to do should have broad, broad protection. That's true because when you're president, you do have to make difficult decisions. Like, we may have to bomb you. And so you can't, you know what? Okay, you can't just be called

a war criminal. For everybody you bomb, sorry, that's just the way of the world. But he took it to a different level. So yes, I don't think it's I don't think it was all just lawfare. Bill, these crimes that they alleged, these are all nonsense. They're not all nonsense. I just listed why they weren't. No, let me, no. You don't care. You just like him. I like who you like. You don't listen to the logic about it or the facts. You just like him. It's okay. You're entitled.

Let me give you logic. Just don't bullshit me, man. Let me give you logic and facts, okay? I told you I had three racketeering indictments. Three, okay? I know the statute inside out and upside down. We're back to you now. No, no, no, no, I'm coming to a point. I will tell you this.

The information and the evidence that was uncovered by the GOP investigation on Joe Biden and Hunter Biden and his family, there was more evidence than there was in any one of my racketeering indictments. Joe Biden is treasonous. No, listen to me. No, I agree. I'm agreeing with you. Okay. He's treasonous. He's not treasonous. Yes, he is. He sold out his vice presidency. That's treason for money.

For fuck's sake. You just don't like him, so that's treason. But your guy... Bill, no, no, no, no. Let me tellason for money. You just don't like him. So that's treason But your guy no, no, no, no, let me tell you. You know, I don't like him Oh for fuck's sake, I don't like him because he is he's a liar No, let me finish my point. I didn't say anything. He's a liar. He was never competent to be president He lied every single he got lied about everything. I'm not a huge fan. He lied about the laptop. He lied about everything. I'm not a huge fan. He lied about the laptop. He lied about everything. He had 51, him and his cohorts there, got 51 intelligence agents to lie about the laptop

after they knew that the FBI had authenticated it. Absolute liar. Okay. Okay, as far as that, let me tell you this. Not a huge fan. He had 18 shell companies that did nothing. There was no brick and mortar behind him. There was no employees.

All they did was collect money. How do I know about that? I had 21 shell companies when I was collecting, defrauding the government of tax on every gal I guess. I know the whole system. He sold out his vice presidency. He sold it out. He's treasonous and he lies and lies

He don't even know how to tell the truth and he destroyed the country's if we were at war He was selling secrets to them. We weren't how do we know what he did for the money? Bill, how do we know? He got his ne'er-do-well crackhead son a job In an energy company when he knew nothing about energy. Is that okay? It's not okay Erdogan, Erdogan, Erdogan, Erdogan, Erdogan, Erdogan, Erdogan, Erdogan, Erdogan, Erdogan, Erdogan, Erdogan, Erdogan, Erdogan, Erdogan, Erdogan, Erdogan, Erdogan, Erdogan, Erdogan, Erdogan, Erdogan, Erdogan, Erdogan, Erdogan, Erdogan, Erdogan, Erdogan, Erdogan, Erdogan, Erdogan, Erdogan, Erdogan, Erdogan, Erdogan, Erdogan, Erdogan, Erdogan, Erdogan, Erdogan,

Erdogan, Erdogan, Erdogan, Erdogan, Erdogan, Erdogan, Erdogan, Erdogan, Erdogan, Erdogan, It's what most of the country is like. I would tell you. Just don't ask me to respect it as critical thinking. I like Donald Trump for the policies that he put into this country. And I think during his time as a president, I didn't know him before that. I met him one time 30 years ago with Roy Cohen. He probably wouldn't have even remembered me. We had a little meeting.

I had to meet with Roy Cohen. He happened to be there. That was it. I don't know him. I have nothing to do with him. Let me tell you something. I don't I'm not know of anybody I just like the job he did as president. I don't care about anything else and listen I have a podcast and I tell my people straight out if I see Donald Trump doing something wrong I'm gonna hold him to it doubt it. I

Sincerely doubt it. I give you my word on that I will say but I already told you like ten things you my word on that. I will hold him to it. But I already told you like 10 things he did and you don't see any problem with there. So I don't know, like what could he do? Let me give an example of something he could do that would piss you off if he did it. If he did anything new with Biden did,

making campaign promises, lying through his teeth about a laptop and about money that he collected and about what he did with his son and then Preemptive pardons for his family unheard of for anything known or unknown This guy just pardoned all the people who beat up cops and forced their way into the Capitol Bill I'm gonna tell you what I think about that. I'm gonna tell you I'm sure you don't like cops, but you know

No, no, I do like Kyle. I've got a lot of good friends in Kyle. Oh, yeah, my mentality is totally changed But let me tell you this, I just interviewed two people that were pardoned. They got pardoned Monday night. I had them on my show on Wednesday. Did you know, I know this is going to be a tough point with you. I don't trust these people. You lie to me once, twice, three, four. You continue to lie to me.

It's on tape. No, what's on tape? Them doing these crimes. It's on tape. We can watch's on tape? Them doing these crimes. It's on tape. We can watch it. Let me tell you something. One of these people who happened to be an ex-Marine, never in trouble in his life, veteran, never in trouble. You know what his job was when he got out?

He had a foundation going after people that were human trafficking. He was rescuing people. I don't know every one of the J6. No, no, no. But I want to tell you my experience. But there are people on tape. We see them doing it. Well maybe it was the 25 informants that the FBI planted that day.

Oh, God. You listen way too much. It's the truth, Bill. There were 25 informants. They admitted to it. They weren't, well, informants. If you mean- What were they doing there?

If you mean that the FBI was aware that there was a riot brewing and put some people on the ground, but they weren't fomenting the riot. How do you know that? Why would 25 informants be there? Not one of them got arrested. So all these people who came to Washington, some from all over the country, they came there just looking for a picnic grounds or something. They came for a protest.

And then the FBI on the spot? What about the ones who came with zip ties? They came for a protest. They didn't come for a picnic grounds or something. And then the FBI on the spot? What about the ones who came with zip ties? They came for a protest. They didn't come for a riot. With zip ties? I don't know about those people. Exactly. You don't know about these things that you don't want to know about. You see, I listened to both sides. You plainly do not.

Bill, I've listened to this for four years. And finally had an opportunity. You've listened to your channel for four years. No, I have not. Club Random is brought to you by the audio marketing gurus at Radioactive Media. Congratulations. You survived 2024 and the start of 2025. Not easy.

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Go to RadioActiveMedia.com or text RANDOM to 511-511. Text RANDOM to 511-511 today. Message and data rates may apply. Are you crushing your bills? Defeating your monthly payments? Sounds like you're at the top of your financial game. Rise to it with the BMO Eclipse Rise Visa Card. Well, then you, then you, there are people people that caught with zip ties and stuff to to basically exactly people. I'm going to tell you I'm going to tell you my theory on what happened based upon what I know.

Okay, speaking to people that were pardoned, speaking to the lawyer that represented a lot of these people that were pardoned that worked on it. Number one, did you know this? Nancy Pelosi's son-in-law was in the crowd telling people to go into the Capitol where her daughter was taking pictures of people coming into the Capitol. Her daughter's a producer. Oh, I know her daughter well.

She's a director. Okay, a director. But she was there with a camera inside the Capitol. Why? What was she doing there? Well, it was the day we were transferring power. But why was she there? Because she's a filmographer.

That's what she does for a living. Okay, so she just happened to, her husband was outside telling people to come in and she happened to be there with a camera. So that's your theory, Nancy Pelosi's daughter fomented the riot on January 6th? No, no, no, no, I'm not saying that. Let me ask you this.

Cash Patel just testified in front of the confirmation here. Yeah, he said he, even he, even this fucking right-wing QAnon nut, even he says he's against Trump pardoning the J6 rioters. Yeah. He said that. He did say that. Did you know that? Because some of them beat up the cops.

I understand that. Yes. Right. Okay. But did you hear what else he said? That days before this protest, Trump went to the... He was in the Department of Defense at that point. And he went to Cash Patel and he said, we're going to need the National Guard there that day. We want to make sure the area is secure.

They prepared and got the National Guard ready to be there. Cash Patel himself called Nancy Pelosi, called Chuck Schumer, and called the mayor of Washington, D.C., and they all refused the National Guard. Why? Now, that could be true. If the president wants them there, because he knew maybe this will get a little out of hand, why did they refuse it? I'm going to tell you what my theory is, and you can say you're crazy.

I'd have to look at those facts again, but I have heard that before from reputable sources that well cash Patel testified today Testified this one the confirmation. Yes. I know well, it's a that's this is a kangaroo court now They're gonna it's a Republican Congress. No Democrats are questioning him to question him, but they're not gonna get to vote him out He's gonna be the We're not talking about that to vote him out. He's going to be the head of the FBI. But we're not talking about that. Whatever the vote is, the vote is. But this is his testimony. Yeah.

He just said it. I'm just saying I don't take it as the word of God, his testimony. But if Donald Trump requested the national god and those three people refused- That part I would definitely look into more. I have heard that from not just right-wing sources, and there was something. But plainly, when it started to go sideways, he did not seem very invested in figuring out a way to stop it. He could have, you know, done a hundred things, but he just seemed to want to watch it on TV. But look, Michael, that's not even the thing

that I blame him the most for, because it's a little squishy, some of the facts. Look, he's Donald Trump. Do I think he played it wrong? Of course, he's Donald Trump. But what I blame him for is just to this day, but including, and most importantly, from the election in 2016, rather 2020, until January

20th when Biden took office, still never conceded. So of course, if you don't concede, the people out there who are your rapid followers are going to do something like January 6th. They were going to do something. His crime to me is a slow moving crime of, no, I never conceded. All I try to do is find crazy ways to contest this election. I will pressure the Justice Department. I will try it in the courts.

I will call attorney generals and ask them to find votes that don't exist. I will send fake electors. I will do all this shit. And while he's doing all this shit, of course his people out there and his shills in the media are going to be saying, look, he hasn't given up on this. How can you possibly do something that would not give up on this? What could you do? Oh, like go to Washington the day that they're going to pass the torch of power, which is the jewel in our crown in this country, man, is that we do that.

We pass power. I agree. You know, like in your business, your old business, or your father's business, that's not how they pass power. You come out of Sparks Steakhouse, they shoot you in the head. Absolutely. It was a lovely dinner, and you wish you had that after dinner aperitif because now you're dead and you would have enjoyed it, but you didn't.

But that's not how we want to do it in this country. I agree, Bill, but I got to tell you this. I'm a former street guy and I look at things sometimes very cynically. I'm sorry. The way these people acted in the past four years, everyone, first of all, Nancy Pelosi, listen, Nancy Pelosi's father was connected with the mob in Baltimore. They put him in office as mayor there. She has the same characteristics as a mobster.

I'm telling you right now. And I take it personally because she's a tough. She's not tough. She's crooked. Nancy's crooked? 100%. She made herself wealthy on inside a trading bill. You got to tell the truth.

Yeah, that may be true. I read some of that. 100%. There's no doubt about it. She uses her office for own piggy bank. What's it? She hates Donald Trump again? I don't I honestly don't think she's in it for the money. She definitely had money now She's got a half a billion dollars or something like that. You're sure about that. Well, I'm not sure but these are the numbers No, okay. Let me tell you what I am sure of I'll tell you you what I am sure of. I'm not sure, but I just say it. She's worth $300 million. I'm sure of that. How do you...you're not sure of that.

You're just saying it. No, I am sure of that. She's admitted to it. Oh, she did? Yeah. She's worth $300 million. Her and her husband. No, I read that there was something shady about some...but she's not the only congressperson

was. Oh, I said that before. They even introduced...okay, look, when it's right I I'm republicans and democrats I'm an honest broker I know you that's what it is so I know you you know what I think you know I never I will never ever have a by the way yeah you don't drink wine huh no I really don't you know I'm gonna like to go straight to get the bottle oh thank you yeah is that for me that's for the bottle? Oh, thank you. Yeah. Is that for me? That's for you.

Oh, that's very kind. Thank you so much. That's France's wine. The wine is from Armenia. But I understand you're in the olive oil business? No, not in the olive oil. Pizza and wine. You know what I love about your history is that it's almost the story in The Godfather.

You wanted to go to medical school. That's true. And you came back because your father needed you. That is the plot of The Godfather. I mean, one of the reasons it's such a great script is when you first see him, he's with Kay at the wedding, and he tells the story of Luca Brasi, and then he says to Kay,

that's my family, Kay. That's not me. And then when he's in the hospital, when he's taking and he's moving his family, K. That's my father, it's not me. That's not me. I know. And then when he's in the hospital, when he's taking and he's moving his father because they're gonna come get him, and he says to him, I'm with you now, Pop. I'm with you now. It's such brilliant screenwriting

because it works on both levels. I'm with you physically and I'm also, well, I'm with you now. You got me. I didn't want to be in the mafia, but you know what? Neither did I. It's kind of a good job. You mind if I have a little good, because I have a little bonus. Oh no, I'm sorry. I have more for you. We you know what? It's kind of a good job. You mind if I have a little bit? Because I have more.

Oh no, I'm sorry. Yes. I have more for you. We brought you a lot. We have this here too. Pomegranate wine, something you've never tasted before. Is this something you do as a business? Yeah.

Pomegranate wine. Well, we know that's good for your balls, right? No, isn't it good for? That's what they say. For urinary health or something. Very healthy. Flying off the shelves. Yeah, yeah. Very healthy. Flying off the shelves. People love it.

It is? Yeah. And you made the cancer look like a pomegranate. Yeah. People love it. They're making sangria out of it. Everything. They love it.

I love a hit man who's artistic. That's what I got. No, you were never a hit man. Well, I wish I could claim the design, but I can't. You were never a hit man, right? Yeah. Let me put it here. Did you ever push't ever a hip man. Well, I wish I could claim the design, but I can't. You weren't ever a hip man, right? Yeah, let me put it here. Did you ever push a button on a guy? Bill, come on.

I'm asking you. I always have to ask that question all the time. Well, it's a thing. It's your thing. Did you ever push a button on a guy? Because Godfather, is it one or two where Cheechee is testifying? Mr. Cheech.

That's true. That's true. And they brought his brother in. Right. Mr. Cheech, what is a button man? You know, Senator. They tell me to push a button on a guy. Push a button.

Push a button. Yeah. You kill them. Remember we have a lot of buffers. Remember that line? Yeah. Did you ever get the order from Michael Corleone? Nah, no. We had a lot of buffers. Remember that line? Yeah. Did you ever get the order from Michael Corley out? No, no.

We had a lot of buffers. Just to show you how honest I am, I'll go to a certain point. I spent 20 years in that life. Obviously it's a violent life at times. You're involved in life, you're involved in the violence. Can I leave it at that? Yes. I don't want any guests to feel uncomfortable here.

Well that's my answer. But now I want to go back to something. This is important because I'm going to tell you this, I'm not blowing smoke. I really have a lot of respect for you, especially lately. I appreciate that. No, I mean that because you just tell it like it is. I do. You really do.

Even when it's right back at you about exactly As a matter of fact, I did a whole podcast on you saying something About you know the the left and how they've been honest and all that I said look Oh, even bill understands this nobody puts the knife into the left better than me because I understand them and it disappoints me So much when she won, I mean when she lost what I said was into the left better than me. Because I understand them. And it disappoints me so much. When she won, I mean, when she lost, what I said was, first of all, I just, at this rate. You didn't want her to win, though.

Be honest. Yes, I did, because I don't want him to win. There's only two choices. But see, that's not right. Okay, let's not go back. That's not right. Let's not go back. I, you know, it was.

No, no, I gotta tell you, this is what bothers me. It's what bothers me. No, no, but listen. So we have to just leave it at that, Michael. No, no, no, but listen. So we have to just leave it at that. No, no, no. I have to leave it at that. No, let me just say this. You're not going to convince me and I'm not going to convince you, so why?

Why would you want somebody that's so incompetent that couldn't take care of our country? Well, there you go. That's why I didn't vote for Donald Trump. Okay. So we just see it different. Yeah, you see it definitely. The key to this country is we have to be able to like have that and then go, let's talk about other things, like how many guys you killed.

We don't have to do that. But no, that's fine. You're in a violent life. And well, what are the good times like though? Great. Because, I mean, I pictured the scene in Goodfellas where they're walking into the nightclub and they're going through the back

and they put the table down for them. Was there a lot of that? Henry Hill never walked into the back of the Copacabana. Henry, he never looked so good as he looked in that movie. I knew Henry very well and and I happen to like him. But Henry was a problem person. He was either a drug addict or an alcoholic at the same time. He didn't have the stature that they showed him

to have in that movie. But he wasn't even Italian. No, he wasn't made. He wasn't made. He was an associate. Yeah. An associate. I was an made guy.

Like at the Gap. Would you like to talk to one of our sales associates? Well, that's what they call him. He was an associate. He didn't take the oath. But the movie was fairly accurate. It was fairly accurate. Except for that part, huh? He wasn't a mocker like that. He wasn't one of the big ballers. No. Okay. But was he a good earner? No.

No. Not a good earner? You've got to be a good earner. He wasn't a good earner. He got involved in drugs which you shouldn't have done. What makes a good earner. You gotta be a good earner. He wasn't a good earner. He was, he got involved in drugs which you shouldn't have done. What makes a good earner? In that life you had two different kinds of people. You had the racketeers and you had the gangsters. The racketeers were the guys that brought the money in. You can consider me a racketeer. The gangsters, see I was fortunate and some of us were,

well we knew how to use the life to benefit me in business, to benefit us in business. The gangsters just didn't have the capability of doing that. So they did a lot of the heavy work. Let's put it that way. Heavy work. And I'll give you an example. In our family, the Colombo family, we had 115 maid guys in my time, guys that actually took the oath.

115. We had a lot of associates and people, but we had 115 maid guys in my time, guys that actually took the oath. 115. We had a lot of associates and people, but we had 115 made guys. Out of those 115, 20 of us were really honest. Really? Yeah. The other 95, who had a no-show job, who got a union job, who's trying to scrape out a living, that was it. And why weren't they let go?

Like they would do a GE every year, cut out the bottom 10. No, you can't? No. Because once you're in, you can't. You can't. Well, that's what they say. But what sort of pressure do they put on you to be a better earner? If they know you can't, they don't.

Really? Yeah. But like if some other work had to come out, you had to do that. And what would you say the perks are? Like, okay, say Henry Hill didn't get to go into the Coca Bat, but somebody, but you did. You went to the Copa like that. My father was a king of the Copa. I was going there since I was nine, 10 years old. And so they would treat you like royalty?

Yeah. Because they feared you. No, not because they feared me. Look, my father, myself, we were outgoing people. We took care of the waiters and the waitresses. We did the right thing. They had a problem in the place. We straightened it out for them. We made sure that everything was right in that place.

I want to tell you this. My dad taught me a lot of good things. Unfortunately, he did 40 years in prison. And he wasn't around me that much when I was on the street because he was always in jail. But he taught me a lot of good things. One thing he taught me that I never forgot, and really worked for me in my former life and now, he said, Mike, always be good to the little people.

Now, he didn't mean that in a demeaning way. It's just the way he spoke. He said, take care of the little people, because they're the ones that make you strong. It's not the people on top that want to cut your legs out in this life especially. He said, but it's the people that you take care of and you give respect to. And I've been that way my whole life because my father taught me that it's the right thing to do. And you know, so that's why you get into going to the back of the corporate cabana. Not because they're afraid of you, because that doesn't work. It's just treating people the right way, being

there for them. that's important. Now, I met everybody that you can imagine during that era with my dad, and then really on my own. The couple of closed later on, but it was a great place. It fit 300 people, the tables were this big, because they crammed you in there, you know, narrow. But it was the best place to see a show, because you were right on the stage

and guys right there, like me and you, right here. But you cherish those memories of your father. I'm talking about teaching you those. I loved what my father taught me. My father taught me other things. He said, listen, be the last one to judge somebody. Last one because your turn is gonna come and they're gonna remember how you judge the other person.

Because you know, look, I gotta be honest with you, in that life, you know, you're sitting down in meetings sometimes where somebody's life is at stake. I was always glad this house didn't go to strangers. First, Clemenza took it over, then you. My father taught me many things, right in this room. Used to be a big desk. Can I say that you were a fan of mob movies and stuff?

He taught me keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Did your father teach you that? Yeah, absolutely. Really? Yes, absolutely. What's the best way to defeat your enemies? Kill them. Kill them at Steakhouse, when they walk out after a fine meal.

No? Best way to defeat your enemies, make them your friends. Yeah. Think about it. No, I mean, that's very true. I mean, I think in the third one, he says anger clouds your judgment. That's right.

But let's be honest, that is not really the history of how the mafia works. I mean, the mafia works basically on fear, do it our way. And by the way, this is something that empires throughout the ages have done. This is what the Roman Empire did. This is what Genghis Khan did, you know, we can get along very well if you just do exactly what we say or we'll kill you. So which would be a choice for you? Less for a time, but Chas Palminteri, very dear friend of mine, we were together last night. Bronx Tale.

Together you mean? No, we had dinner together. Oh, I see. Yeah. Bronx Tale. You love that movie? had dinner together. Oh, I see. Yeah. Bronx Tale. You love that movie? Yeah, great movie. Of course, great movie. Do you remember the scene when Sonny

is talking to little Collegio, and Collegio says to him, "'Is it better to be feared or to be loved in your life?' And Sonny talks about it and he says, "'It's better to be feared in my line of work.'" Okay, good line in the movie. Cut to, I asked Chaz, Chaz, you around, Chaz's not a mob guy,

but he was around, grew up in the neighborhood, he knew people. Ish. I said, let me ask you this right now, in our life, my former life, you think it was better to be feared or to be loved? He said, oh, it's better to be feared. I said, you're wrong, Chaz.

Right. He said, what do you mean? I said, let me tell you, if fear did keep people in line, myself included, no question, fear kept us in line to a degree. But here's what happened. When the RICO statute came out, and Rudy Giuliani, you have to say the guy that learned

how to use the RICO statute against the mob, the most effective prosecutor in that regard, against the mob, the most effective prosecutor in that regard. When that statute came out and became so detrimental to our life because now you could get murder can now become a federal crime, where before it was only a state crime, but it's a predicate act in the RICO.

There was some mission creep. Yes, so here's what happened. Now you get indicted for Rico, you're gonna get a hundred years, like all the commission guys. So what they did to guys is they said, listen, we're gonna put you away for a hundred years. You're not getting any bail.

You'll never make parole. We'll give you some money. We'll put you into witness protection program and you testify against these guys. They're going away forever. Don't worry about it. What happened is the fear of the mob was transferred to the fear of the government. That's what destroyed that life.

Governments can be a mafia, so can police departments. You know, I mean, when you give people power, some will take it. Like government? Yeah, they'd know, absolutely. No, it's, you know, but what Winston Churchill said about our form of government and democracy, it is the worst form of government, except for all the others.

Yes, you know. You can't give people too much power. Too much, I agree. Jack Webb on Dragnet said, when somebody was complaining about one of the cops, he said, yes, ma'am, but we have to recruit from the human race. You know, humans are not good people.

That's my essential. That's true. We're inherently bad. People are inherently bad. Yeah, kind of. They gotta turn to the good. I mean, there are some who somehow are saintly and altruistic, but it's not the default setting for humans.

And civilization, I always say it, it's a mile wide and an inch deep because like you, the slightest little thing, and you know, people would eat each other, you know. I agree. I'm not saying if I was on a plane crash and there was nothing else, I would eat somebody, but yes, I would.

You would, and you, I would. And you would. And you would. As opposed to being eaten? Yeah, well, hopefully we never have to make that choice, but I understand. You know, dog eat dog world. I agree. I mean, we are animals very close to below the surface.

And it's amazing actually, that we keep the veneer of civilization as much with the lid on as we do. When I think about how many nutty people are out there with nutty ideas and weaponry, and it's basically, you know... Because they're not accountable to a higher spirit like I am, accountable to God. So you try to stay on track. I mean, just when I drive around the city, okay, there's like hundreds, thousands of people who were all in these big, very dangerous things that we could, if we wanted to, just

go fucking nuts and drive it through the plate glass window of the store and people don't and there's like the occasional accident but basically we're whizzing by each other who the you know you know that they would hurt themselves also maybe they weren't gonna hurt themselves they might do it who knows yeah but I mean like a lot of accidents these days are people on their phones and yes just I'm not saying it's necessarily malicious or they go nuts or zombie-esque and it's mad max, but yeah, some of that, I mean, the kind of people who live on the streets who you see are crazy.

What if they got behind a wheel? What would a homeless, the kind of person who you're like, oh, that guy, I feel bad for him, but I'm staying away because he's obviously dangerous. He's got something, he's swinging. What if that guy got in a car? How does that not happen? I don't wanna give the homeless any ideas

because they're big fans of this podcast. But- Well, I mean, they were, from what I read at one point, they were standing on a on an overpass on the freeway and throwing rocks down on the yes, you know, on the cars. Look, as an olive branch, politically, I'll tell you something. Because I'm telling you, I don't hate everything. I'm not going to pre-hate. Here's something I absolutely do not hate about Trump being president again. Police morale will go up.

And police morale needed to go up. After George Floyd in 2020, police who have a racist history, but so does everything in America have a racist history, okay? We're unfairly branded something they're not. There are bad people everywhere, but it is a tough job. And we also know about the police. They're quite sensitive.

I don't blame them. They do a hard job that is pretty dangerous, not as dangerous as others. I have the list. But okay, still dangerous and stressful. And you wouldn't do it. And somebody has to do it because of that whole civilization being an inch deep thing. And you know, people in this city, even the nice liberals, you know, the ones who are still at their houses not burned down. We had a little trouble here with fire recently.

Okay, so... Thanks to your governor and... Well, it's not thanks to the wind, but yes, there were things that... Oh, come on. Sweetheart, my first editorial this season was all about how the government could have done better. So don't tell me I need to. No, no, I know that.

I know that. Yeah. So, but it was mostly the wind. I also made that point. Okay. Anyway. But water in the hydrants would have helped. Water, I've made that point.

And the reservoir would have helped. And the mayor being here. And the mayor being here. Lots of things. And not choosing a police, a fire chief because she was the best lesbian. A lesbian can do the job, I said, which is true. Of course it's true. But they didn't choose the best person. They wanted to just, it was, let's have a lesbian first and then we'll get the best lesbian. Okay, that's not good enough for a job of this. It was very important.

It was very important to choose a lesbian. No, no, listen, in case they had to rescue a lesbian in the fire, the lesbian's going to be a lot more comfortable seeing another lesbian. Didn't care how big she was or if she can carry her out. Bill, this is so insane. Ready to optimize your nutrition this year? Factor has chef-made gourmet meals that make eating well easy. They're dietitian-approved and ready to eat in two minutes so you can fuel right and feel

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Should have been fired on the spot. Ridiculous thing. Right. And again, this goes back to what I said about the worst thing Biden did. He just gave in to every bad impulse from the fringe. That's not the worst thing Biden did. OK. Take the as for an answer. Bill, the worst, no, no, no, no.

Forget about him stealing the money and being treasonous. That was as a vice president. Okay, he's 50 years in. Let's go back to when I was being nice to Trump and saying that he. No, no, no, before you say that, the worst thing Joe Biden did, the guy's got blood on his hands

for what he did at the border and allowed people to come in here to kill people in this country. He did a terrible job with the border. Is it enough that I agree with that? Okay, why did he do it? Because he wanted to turn every state blue. There was no other reason for it. And so they would never lose another election. These people don't play fair. I don't know if that's so much as it is something even worse. Oh, let's hear it. Oh yeah, well, the left, their biggest problem, I think, they have many psychologically. But one is the wine-sipping liberals, the white liberals, the white liberals, this is mostly,

they just have this crazy need to beat themselves up about race in ways that... What else do they do? That's all it is, is race... It's so part of their identity. And of course, it's so hypocritical. It's like, if you really feel that bad, go switch houses with somebody in Compton. I'm sure they'll be happy to live in your house in the valley and you could live in Compton.

You'll never see that happen. No, of course not. So that's the thing, is that they so don't want to be seen as racist, that it's somehow in their, this is again what they do that's so infuriating. They go to the ultimate end of what's counterintuitive often, or just dumb, and they go all the way to, well, then we can't stop anybody from coming into the country, because that would be racist.

And that's not racist. It's just what every country has to do. I hear you, and I appreciate that, but I don't believe that they're worried so much about that. These people. No, they are. Trust me, these are my people. Well, no, they're not even your people.

I know these people. Bill, they're not even your people anymore because you've said it right. You haven't changed. The party has changed. They're not your people anymore. No, what I mean is they're people I know because I live here amid show business in Hollywood.

And I'll admit this too, show business in our community is the epicenter of the problem. It is where the stupidity is deepest about this kind of stuff. I mean, I'm a proud liberal, but I'm not a... Do you think they really care about these people? That they're bleeding hearts and they needed to come here?

Come on. No, I'm not saying they do. I'm not arguing with you now. What I'm saying is similar to what you're saying. It's so important to their identity. They're what I call liberals in theory, because I see how some of them act like in day to day with people, with their assistants, that kind of stuff. And it's so not liberal. It's just so cunty and, you know, born to the manner

and, you know, they're often very well to do and not afraid to spend their money on the stupidest things. So yeah, they're such hypocrites. Come on. They're such hypocrites. Thank you. Yeah, yeah. They really are. You don't have to. Biden couldn't give it. If Biden, if he showed any empathy. We're talking about a sliver of people here. We're not talking about all Democrats, or at least I'm not. He was at the head for four years. Yeah. Can I just say this?

Right. And that's why the Democrats lost, because they lost their touch with their own voters. They lost because their policies were horrible. Right. Horrible. And they still haven't gotten it, because- No. They're still fighting. They're still arguing. The...we're going to probably talk about this on my show Friday. The new head of the Democratic

committee, is it? Yeah, I see. And they started the meeting like, okay, we have to...we lost an election terribly to the guy we said could never win. Okay, and he did it again. Okay, so we need a new leader and a new way of doing things. But first, we must acknowledge that we are sitting on land that was properly owned by the Chamash people. Same thing. You're fucking idiots. You know, I did a whole bit on it in my special. Like, really, either shut the fuck up or give it back. Those are the only two choices.

And you don't want to give it back. Okay. So my theory, I think it's based on Sound Foundation, the only reason he opened up the board, it didn't care who came in, who killed who, whose taxpayer money went to spend, he didn't care. Make every state blue. That's it. You never lose another election.

I mean, that's a theory. That's, again, the reason why I believe you think that is because I have a pretty good idea of what media you listen to. So that's the kind of thing they say. And there may be some truth to that. But first of all, it's a bad idea. You know why? Why?

Because the Latinos are voting for Trump now. But they didn't know that. They were so bad. I understand. They thought it was going to go the other way. Yeah, you I understand. They thought it was going to go the other way. Yeah, you're right. They thought it was going to go the other way. I'm not sure that was the...

I think it's more the other thing is we're not racist. Everyone should come here. Yeah. Okay. Everyone should come here and every taxpayer should take the... They didn't calculate anything. As with everything, there's a sane middle ground. I mean, like when Trump says

they're the rapists, the criminals, and they're eating the dogs. Okay. Well they do eat dogs. It's so funny like nobody will just come to the middle. Like absolutely most immigrants just want a job and they're law-abiding. But also you know that Venezuelan gang is not a boy band. You know, I don't want them in my country to get back to my thing about the police. Yeah, the people in this city, and again, oh, here we got off track when I was going. These kind of phony bologna's, you know,

here in the nice restaurants and the people you see out on the town, like they're fed up. They're fed up that they can't go east of La Brea anymore without fearing for their life. They're fed up that they saw carjacking and they don't wear their good watch when they go out now because they're too... They're gonna get taken off their wrist.

They don't wanna live in that world, that city. Like, oh please. I mean, they... And who gave them that city. Like, oh, please. And who gave them that? Again, I'm not arguing with you. I'm saying that this is what the Democrats have to get. You're even going to lose the Upper West Side, unless you come to grips with this.

And again, I think the police will have a better morale, because Trump, again, with everything with him, nothing in the middle, a little too much perhaps, but at least they know this guy has their back and they feel like nobody has our back. You wouldn't do it. It's a tough job. You have to make decisions in split seconds.

We get tarred as races for the entire police force of the country because this asshole did this and this asshole did this. And things have changed. I always say to people, live in the area you're living in. I did some very rough editorials about the police 10, 15 years ago. And a lot of the things I was complaining about have changed. Back then, no cop ever went to jail for anything. You could do whatever the cop did.

They would come out and say, it's right in the manual. It's right in the manual that you shoot a guy in the back if he's six years old. Okay. That's not...then keep up with what happened. Live in this year. There have been many cops who have gone to jail, and also police chiefs who have not backed the guy who did the crime. You know, it's a different world.

And cops, most of them are young. What's the uncoolest thing you can be in Los Angeles if you're 25, a racist? So, you know, I'm not saying it doesn't happen, but, you know, I want the police to feel like, no, we appreciate it. We don't want to live in uncivilization. And we get it that you're the guys who make that possible. Now, could I get another drink, waiter? The dumbest thing that I ever heard, and this is from a former mobster who didn't like the

police at one time, is defund the police. It was as stupid as... So stupid. They come up with stupid ideas. So stupid. They make... You need the police. Oh, they can outstupid that.

How about when a baby's born, we don't know what sex it is. I mean, the penis is a what? It's an indicator of some... we don't know what sex it is. I mean, a penis is a, what? It's an indicator of some, I don't know. So you like the Trump's executive order, there are now only two genders recognized? No, but I'm very glad that I'm in one of the ones we're keeping. I really am.

Okay, don't you think life is better when it's... It's the person liking the mob, speaking of that. Come on, it must be... What? The women, like, did they throw themselves at you like rock stars if you were in... Really? It was pretty good, yeah. It was pretty good.

Is it like in Henry, what's that, Goodfellas? Goodfellas? I mean, there it was like... Women were attracted to it. Women were attracted to bad boys. To what? Bad boys Women were attracted to it. Women were attracted to bad boys. To power. To what? Bad boys.

Right. A lot of women are attracted to bad boys. That's right. But I want you to know, I'm married 40 years now. How many? 40. This year, 40. Wow.

40. Young woman that saved my life. Saved your life. If I don't meet her and walk away from this life at some point, I'll meet a dead woman in prison. No doubt. So a woman got you away from this life at some point. I'll meet a dead-end in prison. No doubt. So a woman got you away from the life? Tell me that story.

I met her, she was 19 years old. I was producing a movie in South Florida. How old were you? I was 31. Completely appropriate. Yeah, 31. And we had taken cast and crew from LA to work in the film and 20 professional dancers.

It was a dance movie. and she was one of them. I love it. I met her and that was it. I'll tell you what it really was. That was it, you knew right away? I did. How? I just knew, man.

I just, something about her. You know people say this, I'm blown away by that. Something about her. It was different than, look, I was around a lot and she was different than every other woman that I had met. And I'll tell you this, I'll go even deeper. I call the mob life, Kosenostromafia, they're evil lifestyles, but I wanna be clear.

I'm not calling the guys evil. Right. Why do good people do bad things? There were good people there. Hate the sin, not the sinner. Correct, I like that. That's what the Christians say. And you know I'm a very devout.

One day, can we have another conversation about that? Not today, but about Christianity? Why not right now? We can do it now. But let me finish my point. That's even better. Do we have an agenda here? Do I look like I have one?

That's even better. But let me tell you this The reason I call it an evil life I don't know any family of any member of the life that hasn't been destroyed including my own destroyed Destroyed like dead or no destroyed with a family is just a mess. Let me explain now not my wife and kids I've been able to shield them from that but Michael you could never lose your whole family. You can. That's what his mother says. She's wrong. Let me tell you. Michael, you could never lose your family.

I know. Well, he didn't yet. And then he killed his brother, right? But he killed Fredo after that. Yes, he did. Okay. You're right. But my mother, my dad does 40 years in prison.

My mother 33 years without a husband. She passed away in 2012. Her relationship with my dad, does 40 years in prison. My mother, 33 years without a husband. She passed away in 2012. Her relationship with my dad, ugly. Because she blamed him for everything that went wrong. Rightfully so. She was innocent. My sister dies of an overdose of drugs, 27 years old. My brother, 25 years a drug addict.

What I had to go through just to keep him alive on the street. My other sister, 40 years old, dies. She wasn't all there. Oh my God. The family was destroyed. And every family of every member of that life that I know goes through a similar fate. So any lifestyle that does that to a family is no good.

It's bad. So I meet this girl. I fall in love with her. She's 20 years old. I said, am I, I fall in love with her, she's 20 years old. I said, am I going to marry her and put her through the same thing? Because I got a huge target on my back, seven indictments already. They're never going to let me go. Never. I'm going down. I'm not, you know, hey, I beat all of these cases. I'm not the Teflon Michael or any of that. I knew eventually I'm going down. And I said, I got to make a choice. At the same time, Giuliani went crazy with the recall indictment. Giuliani told me in the courtroom,

the day of my arraignment, he gave me a million dollar bail. He said, if I convict you on this case, you get in double what your father got. I'm going to give you a hundred years. That's the kind of time they were giving us. By the grace of God, I beat that case, or I wouldn't be here right now. So I said, it's only a matter of time. And when I go, I'm going forever. There's no question. So that's when I started to say I got to get away from the life. So you met her before you went to prison. Yeah.

But she stayed with you even though... Stayed with me eight years while I was in prison. Really? And visited you how often? As often as she could. The government gave me a very hard time because they would move me around and told me to go to prison. Is there such, do they still have conjugal visits?

No. The feds never had conjugal visits. Do they still do that? State. Really? Yeah, not feds. You get conjugal visits? In the state, under certain conditions.

But you didn't, for eight years you didn't have, you were in prison. Yeah. And you couldn't get a conjugal visit? No. And I spent 29 months and seven days in solitary. Six by eight cell, that's it. Me and the cell. In the hole?

In the hole. Shoe, that shoe. Special housing. How do you get through that? Tough. Like what? Like what do you do all day? You read.

Oh, you can read? Yeah. Even in the hole? Well, they give you books. Well, then that ain't the hole. That ain't the hole I know. No, that's- I can't believe that they have ruined the hole. That's the hole you know.

Okay, everybody can have books. The hole was just like, it was literally a hole. Like in World War II movies. Like when you throw, when the Nazis throw you in the hole, trust me, there's no reading. I don't know what a military prison in Germany was, but I'm saying in civilized prison here in the United States, you can read.

In the hole. Yeah. No television. What do you think about people who are in solitary? That to me is almost. Well, that's solitary, Bill. Oh, I know. But I'm talking about solitary just permanently

in the prison. Oh, forever? Yeah. That's, what? It's crazy, right? That'll drive you crazy. You need human contact. Absolutely.

I mean, to keep you sanity, I saw a lot of things happen bad there with guys that just couldn't handle it. And I don't demean them. It was rough. I mean, I seen wrists being slit and a lot of bad things. So how do you take care of your sexual needs for eight years? You don't. That's it.

Very simple. You don't. Yeah, I remember one. You come out crazy. There was a great scene in The Sopranos where Tony sees a guy at a gas station who, you know this scene? Yeah. He killed him?

No, he didn't kill him. Oh, which one? No, this was a game. He ran into him. This is a guy who had been in prison. And he killed him? No, he didn't kill him. Oh, which one? No, this was a game. He ran into him. This is a guy who had been in prison. And he just sees him, and he comes over. And he's like, oh, wow. It's great to see you.

I'm glad you're out. And the guy, you could tell, is a little bitter. And Tony says, I wanted to this, and I wanted to that. And he goes, yeah, and I wanted to have sex with a woman, but I masturbated into a tissue for five years. OK. Does that describe your experience? I wanted to have sex with a woman, but I masturbated into a tissue for five years. Okay. Does that describe your experience? I'm not saying it doesn't happen, but...

Masturbation? Why are you so shy about that? I'm not shy. You were in prison. At least you didn't take it up the ass. No. Right. A lot of guys did.

A lot of guys did? Yeah. Against their will? No, I didn't see much of that. Not against their will? Most guys... Like, it didn't see much of that. Not against their will? Most guys... It's interesting that... You see more of that in the state, not as much in the feds.

Feds a little more, they got more control. Okay. So if you're saying if you have to go to prison... Oh, you want to do federal time without a doubt. But I will say this about the Michael Corleone killing his brother thing. May I? Yeah, go ahead. I think it was wrong, but you got to admit after that, Connie stopped her bitching.

Yeah. Okay? Yes. It was wrong. It was wrong. You don't kill your brother. No. Hey, my brother, you know, became an informant. Really?

Yeah. And is he alive? Yeah. Really? Mm- And is he alive? Yeah. Really? Mm-hmm. Witness protection? He was. He was?

Yeah. What's that like? Do you know? I don't know. Is even the family kept away from knowing the identity? Yes. Really? Yeah.

So you're not in touch with him because he was in the program? Yeah. Really? I didn't speak to my... So he could be living as Joe Flumstein and Joe Boygan? Yeah, I mean, my brother, I didn't speak to him for 10 years. Holy crow. And then at a 70th birthday party, surprise party,

and my wife invited him. Wow, you're 70? You look good for 70. I'll be 74 this year. Holy fuck. My dad lived... Good Italian olive oil skin. My dad lived to 103. Good Italian olive oil skin. My dad lived to 103.

Johnny Fontaine with his olive oil skin. You really know that movie. You really know that movie. The man in my position cannot afford to look ridiculous. That's right. Will you get out of here? You like that, huh? You tell him, I ain't no band leader.

Oh yeah, I heard that story. Until he got the horse's head. And by the way, people ask me all the time, did you ever cut off a horse? I said, no, we don't do that. And then, no, no, listen, and then two months ago, I wrote an article about guys in Italy that cut off a head and left it in somebody's.

You know what they ought to have? A mafia museum. They do. The Mob Museum in Vegas. You've never been? No.? A mafia museum. They do. The Mob Museum. In Vegas. You've never been? No. Oh, you've never gone.

You would love it. And they have like a horse's head. You would love the Mob Museum. That cement blocks that they put guys' feet in when they put them over the top. I can't believe you don't know there's a Mob Museum in Vegas. I don't. It's a terrific exhibit, terrific.

A lot of people say Vegas was better when the mob ran it. 100%. 100%. You know that, you were there. Absolutely. You're talking about the Rat Pack days? Yes, days at a Doones Hotel and we own those places. I mean, who built Vegas?

You know the mob. Oh, of course. That's what the, I mean, the character of Mo Green in The Godfather is really Bugsy Siegel. And Bugsy Siegel, I mean, the great speech that Lee Strasberg has in Godfather 2, there was this kid. We started out together, did all our first work together. That was Meyer Lansky.

Right, Meyer Lansky. He kind of looked up to me. I was a little older. Made a fortune. During Prohibition, we ran molasses to Canada. Your father too. Later on... I'm really impressed with this.

He had an idea to build a city out of a desert stop over Fiji eyes This was a great man a man of guts and vision Someone put a bullet in his eye when I you know, that's Mo Green That's Meyer Lansky because he is saying he's a great man because he built Las Vegas and he did his idea Yeah, it was his idea. What did he say? He said, I didn't get mad. I didn't get mad. I knew Moe. I didn't blame anybody. Headstrong, saying stupid things.

When I heard about it, I didn't ask who gave the order. I let it go. I said, this is the business we've chosen. You got it down. Now that $2 dollars in your room It's not here but on the table when I get out of I'm gonna take a nap. That was a phony scene What do you mean my Alanski? Had juice, but he would have never taken control of that meeting with other made guys in there

Never really no No way. And he was lucky to be Gianno's guy. You know that. What do you think about other mafias that come along? I mean, are you jealous? Do you guys have sort of beef with each other? Do you, you know, I mean, there's a lot of Russian mafia. I got along great with them.

They were my partners. They were my partners in the gas business. That's so cynical. We made a lot of money together. The Russian mafia? Yeah. You worked with the Russians? Yeah, I had three Russian partners.

Made more money with them than anybody else. They were great partners. Now don't try to connect me to, you know, Donald Trump or something through that, no. But that's because they're ruthless? No, they weren't ruthless. They were good businessmen. They worked 24-7. And I'll tell you what happened to Russia.

I meet them, whatever. You know the background, that I was defrauding the government on a tax on, you know that. So I've heard. So when I meet them, they had a number of gas stations called Gas Stop. It was their own brand. But they couldn't get the licenses that we needed in order to collect the tax. Couldn't do it. So I cut a deal with them. And I said, here's a deal. 75% me, 25% you. There's three of them, right? Mike Markowitz, he was a Romanian. He goes, I don't think that's very fair, Mr. Michael. I said, no, it's very fair.

He said, why? I said, because we're street guys. I know you're gonna steal a little bit. I said, this is where I got the major share. I said, you steal a little bit. I said, just don't let me catch you, right? He goes back, Bill, he talks to his other two Russian friends, he comes back, he says, we got a deal. And we were together seven years.

We never had an argument. We made a ton of money together. There's a lot of heart in crime. A lot of heart. There really is. Absolutely. I didn't realize that. So you have a kind of a comradery

with the other criminals that you're. Hey, we're still men. We still, we had this brotherhood going together. It doesn't matter to me what a man does for a living. But your business is a little dangerous. Listen, I have said this and everybody, Michael, come on, it's not true. It is true.

In my era in that life, we were not allowed to deal with drugs. We were told if we dealt with drugs, we would die. And I know guys that got killed because of it. We were not cartels. We didn't move. In Italy, yeah, there are big heroin deals and all. Not here. We couldn't of it. We were not cartels. We didn't move. In Italy, yeah, there are big heroin deals and all. Not here. We couldn't do it. Were guys doing it on a sneak? Of course. They're trying to make a living. But you weren't

allowed to do it. The reason Gotti was in trouble because his crew was dealing drugs. I'm not saying John was. I don't know if John was. He was probably getting a beast, but he wasn't directly doing it. But that's why Castellano was going to kill him. But that is really the difference between the old mafia and the new mafia. They got into drugs and it was a corrupting force. Well, drugs are bad business. Dirty business. Exactly what Don Corleone said. Exactly what he said. He's 100% right. They don't forgive drugs. The DEA, the cops, they don't forgive drugs.

And they shouldn't. And that's another reason I got to go back. Why I hate Biden. You know, Bill, you know Fentanyl is coming in in this country in droves. How do you not? You're the president. You were put in a position to trust. Your number one priority is for the safety of the American people.

That's what you swore to. You took an oath. Can I tell you something? Joe Biden is worse than half of the mob guys I knew on the street. Bill, you got to admit it. He's a bad guy. Come on. He's a bad guy.

Donald Trump wouldn't do that. Donald Trump is closing the border. He wouldn't do... He has a conscience, at least. Yeah. I mean, Joe's shortcomings, I don't think, come out of a desire to see kids on the border. He wouldn't do... No. He has a conscience at least. Yeah. I mean, Joe's shortcomings, I don't think, come out of a desire to see kids on fentanyl. But he did it.

But you're right. You're right in the sense of, are you responsible? 100% he's responsible. They're not going to stop all the fentanyl coming in by stopping immigration. I think 80% of it comes in through citizens of the United States. Yes. Through the Post Office.

Some of it too. Yeah, I know that. But a lot of it is coming over the border. I like what Trump said. You bring this stuff over, we're going to shoot you. Right. Well, it's so funny. And that's what they should do.

It's so funny. I'm sorry. I mean, I am a Christian, but I have to. So far in this conversation, there are things that they will pull out. The whole first 40 minutes of me railing Trump's asshole, they'll put that and say where they'd hate me. Like look at them.

And they'll hate me too. And then they'll put the things where I'm agreeing with you about how crazy the left is, and they'll just show you on that. Oh, I hope so. That's, no, that's what they do. Agree with you about how crazy the left is and it'll just show you on that. Oh, I hope so No, that's what they do. Whereas to really understand you have to watch the whole conversation Yes, I think a lot of people do when you're involved. I hope so, but I see a star but but proclaim it Thank you. How long you been doing 31 years on TV without a break. I am it 31 years. I'm gonna tell you something

It's amazing to do 31 years without a break. 31 years. I'm going to tell you something. It's amazing. To do 31 years without a break in this industry. And this is how much the media hates me. They won't even cover that. Because even though I voted for her, I'm not good enough. That's one reason I really have a thing for them. They're so exclusionary. Unless you're with them 100 percent and anybody who stands out of line and goes, yeah, I'm not gonna go with you 100%

because a lot of what you think is so fucking stupid and I'm not gonna pretend I don't see it. I know, but that's because you're a man, you have integrity and you speak when you say I mean that. Yeah. I'm serious. No, I know. And look, I'm gonna pay a price for it. My son-in-law absolutely loves you

and I was mad at him at the time. I was, what him at the time. He's, what do you like this guy for? I'm serious. I used to say, what do you like? And now look at us, we're bros. And then in the last couple of years, I'm saying, man, I think I was wrong.

Bill, he says it like it is. What do you believe? And I really mean that. Well, I will not be the one to break the peace we've made today. But listen, I just want to, you don't have to admit to anything, I just want you to think about this, because many will come back, it doesn't have to come over dinner. Give Trump, and you are, you said it, I'm not going to hate everything, I'm going to

give him a chance. I will not pre-hate. You will not pre-hate. The guy is going to do it. And what I hate, I will say. Okay. And what I don't hate, I will say. I believe this about Trump, and this is the only reason why I like him.

I don't know him. I think he cares about the people in this country. He does. I would not argue with that. He genuinely loves America, loves everything it gave him. He just has a mental problem. He's a, you know, narcissists is a word they throw around a lot. They don't really understand when they talk about it. I think that it's an actual psychological

issue. It's in the psychology digest. It's diagnosable. Like if it was bipolar, people would be like, oh God, bipolar, we can't have that. Narcissism, they just kind of think, oh, it's a personality quirk. It's way beyond that with him. If you love him and you flatter him, everything is great and he will never disagree with you or denounce you, whether you're Vladimir Putin or Satan. And if you oppose him, then he will just go immediately into five-year-old, I will destroy you, mode. I just don't think this is a way to run a railroad. I just don't think ultimately this is going to turn out well. But you know what? Again, I don't think it's bad that we're re-examining a lot of things that just slowly this country was bloating itself to death. It's just things like slowly over time,

like the way no government program ever ends. If you start it, it grows and it grows. And yes, I'm not yet going to condemn Elon Musk, even though he seems to have a cadre of teenagers running through the government to find things. But I don't know, maybe nobody but a 24-year-old has the energy to do that. Bill, so many of these kids, I mean, I have a team around me. I can't even, I couldn't compete with them. These kids are brilliant. What do you mean a team around you for your podcast? Yeah, for all my stuff, you know, my company and all that.

And a lot of them's just my partner here. I mean, he does things that I can't even, I don't even want to know. When I say I don't even want to learn, it's too complicated for me. These young kids are smart. And are any of your managerial skills that you brought to podcasting borrowed from your days in the old life, like you break a knee if somebody is, you know, in the break room too long or something? I mean, look, you know, the answer is yes.

I mean, no, I don't mean to break knees and all of that. No, I don't mean that I mean good but I'm saying I Think the most important thing in in life to be successful. I mean One of the very very strong elements is really know how to deal with people Now how to deal with people networking is extremely important Knowing how to deal with people and you're on the street if you don't Knowing how to deal with people. And you're on the street. If you don't know how to deal with people, you're not gonna last. You know, honestly, I was one of the young...

You were in New York. Yeah, New York, mostly. One of the five families. Yes. Columbia. I was in Brooklyn. Not affiliated with the Columbia School of Broadcasting or the university. No.

Just a completely different family. Completely different. And the families were, I think I can name it, Colombo, Gambino, Bon Jovi. Close. Wait. Oh God, I used to know these. Lucchese. Lucchese.

Lucchese. What was Carmine Galanti? He was a Genovese guy. Genovese. Genovese. And then one more. One more. You could eat it in the morning with your cereal. Germaine.

No. Oh, that's the Jackson Five. It's yellow. Custard. Close. No. Lemon. No, no.

Eat it in the morning with your cereal. Orange juice family? No. I don't, I forget. Bonano. Bonano, right. I forgot't, I forget. Bonano. Bonano, right. I forgot about those.

And Colombo, you forgot that. That was my... I remember when I was living in New York in 1979 on the front page of the Daily News, I'll never forget it, the picture of Carmine Galanti, gunned down with the cigar in his mouth and the blood running out on the floor of Umberto's Clam House. No, that was Joey Gallo that got killed there. Really? Yeah, Calma Galacta was in another restaurant.

It was not? OK. Joey Gallo was killed just outside. OK. So they have the Mob Museum. What about a mob tour? They have that too. They got mob tours there.

My ideas have been done today. They got one in Chicago. I'll tell you what, listen to me. Do they have one in New York where you can see all the places, Sparks? I could take you there. No, but wouldn't that be good? I mean, all the places where, I mean, that's where it started with the black hands. Remember the black hands? Maybe they do have one. But here's a deal I'll make with you, and this is totally on you.

If you ever Want to go to the mob museum in? Vegas I might do that all me. No, let me take her Tour like I know them all there. I know the movie if I'm going I'm going with you Am I gonna go with carrot tops? No, go with you to the mob museum Got a carrot top to the spirit rhino. We'll have a good time. But you're going to watch that movie, right?

Gotti. Oh, Gotti from 1996. You think I can only get it on YouTube? Well, I don't know anywhere. I mean, no. I don't know where I'll get it. I'll get it. Yeah.

I will get it. It was brilliant. OK. Want to go back to Trump or you want to forget Trump? Go ahead. Whatever's on your mind. Well, you already said you're going to give the guy to forget Trump? Go ahead, whatever's on your mind. Well, you already said you're going to give the guy a chance. And you said this too, which I appreciate.

You believe he loves America and you believe he loves this country. I don't think Donald Trump will do anything to hurt America. Not intentionally. Not intentionally. Okay, well. And I think the other side has done a lot to hurt America. Not intentionally. Oh, come on. Oh, Jesus. It's such the other side has done a lot to hurt. Not intentionally. Oh, come on.

Oh, Jesus. It's such bad faith to think that way. So this is what I always tell the left to not to do, is to hate the other half of the country. I don't hate them. But you just said you think they wanna hurt America intentionally. They do.

They do. Okay, if I thought the right intentionally wanted to hurt America, I would hate them. But I don't think that. And the left doesn't intentionally want to do it either. When you know that people are coming into this country and killing other people and raping and murdering... Not most of them.

But many of them. Some of them. In any group of a million people, there's going to be some criminals. Same with immigrants. Actually less than the percentage of citizens, because immigrants, when they're here, mostly what they are is scared, and they don't want to be caught.

So I notice when I drive around here or anywhere, but definitely my area, where there's a lot of maids and gardeners and so forth, like those people drive perfectly. They do not wanna get involved with law enforcement. Let me ask you this. The white people will do anything. The white people are like, excuse me if they wave,

I'm gonna jump across three lanes and cut you off and then come back and cut you off again the other. Thank you. That's what the white people do. Let me ask you this. Let's take it a step further. Christopher Wray, what did you think of him? Head of the FBI.

Oh, God, are we going to go there? No, no, no, no, just quickly. I thought he was a straight arrow, which he was. And if you don't think that, you're ideologically captured. No, no, no, I'm not going to comment on him personally. Christopher Wray got up there and said, we have terrorist cells that have entered this country in the past couple of years.

They're operating within the country. I said I thought Biden did a horrible job with the border. But you know that there's terrorists coming into this country and you don't close the border. What do you want to finger? I said he did a terrible job. Well, that's what I'm saying. We just disagree on what the motivation was.

You think it was intentional. 100%. Because when he knew it was happening, why didn't he close the border? OK. Letting the people in was intentional. The motivation, no. It wasn't to hurt America.

Well, once he knew that they were here in this country. Because the left has, again, this thing in their brain. These are the people with the signs on the front. You know, there are that say, in this house, we believe. So you think Bill, you think Biden was a humanitarian? It's very important in their minds that they think of themselves as humanitarians. Michael. He was a racist too. Look at all the racist comments he made in his career. Biden was a racist.

Well, he was a humanitarian. He's the same kind of racist that Trump is. A man of a certain age who hasn't gotten certain memos. That's all it is. Do they really, I don't think even Trump is that kind of a racist. They want to paint him No, he did some terribly racist things like, you know the his his crusade against them the Central Park five

That was wrong. That was wrong And also the Central Park five were not innocent of other crimes. Just not that one. Okay, so I'm glad you admit that was wrong I was wrong. Okay, but I do glad you admit that was wrong. That was wrong. Okay, but do I think he hates black people? I do not. I think he wants to be a hero to everybody. And I think like with anybody, again, back to his quirk, anyone who flatters him, black, white, or green,

is persona grata. And anybody who doesn't- But you're getting off my point. What was the point? Biden, when Biden knew, no, when Biden and the whole, no, listen, when Biden and the entire Democrats in control. You're giving him too much credit. Everyone in control knew that this was happening. Why didn't they immediately shut the border? So we got terrorists within our country. Because I explained. We have to stop. Okay. Our own FBI director is

telling us that. I explained to you why already. I'm glad I'm not married to you, because it must be hell. I live, it was less than 40 years. I know, but you don't, after you get the explanation, you still keep going. Which is fine, but yeah, I've never been married. No? Isn't that amazing? Yeah.

69, we're almost the same age. Really, you don't look 69. Look, if I look like you in five years, I will fucking take it. But yeah, you know what? I never would have thought when I was younger and when I heard about this age that it was gonna be like this.

I would've thought it would be way worse. Really. I mean, they kind of presented it as like you're one foot in the grave, decrepit, and you can't do anything anymore. It's like, I'm not that different than I, I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop, but at the moment, nothing is that different.

I'm glad you said that, because I don't feel much differently than I felt 20, 30 years ago. Yeah. No, I was expecting a much older man and a more reasonable one. No, I'm fucking with you. You know what, I think, listen, you might think I have this block in my head with Trump.

I don't. The way I look at it this way, Bill, I have a wife. I have children. I'm 74 years old. I'd probably live longer than I thought I was gonna live when things were tight for me, but I'm worried about their future. I want this country to be the country that believe it or not. I grew up in right It was great. I love America for that. I want them to have the same and in the past four years It scared me. I said what the heck is going on here

It really scared me. I said, what are heck is going on here? It really scared me. I said, what are my kids and my grandkids, I have seven grandkids, what kind of world are they gonna live in, what kind of country are they gonna live in? And it really worried me. And that's why I like Trump, because I think he's trying to straighten America out.

There are things that, I mean, I said it on my, it's so funny, to the point about like they only report the part they want to report. Last week, I said something very complimentary about Trump, probably maybe the only thing in the whole show. And of course, I forget what outlet was it. That's the one thing they picked out because they hate me, so they want to show that. Bill Maher was like kissing Trump's ass.

What I said was, and I'll say it again, and I'm perfectly happy to say it a million times, when they asked him about the plane crash over the Potomac, and some reporter said, are you going to visit the crash site? Now, any other politician would go, well, of course, it's our prayers and thoughts. And he went, the crash site, it's the water. What, he wanted to swim to it? I remember that. And it was like, that's when I liked Donald Trump. And that's why people like him,

because he said what was real. He has the ability to do that. He's done other badass things. That thing where he was with the Taliban dude, and he has the guy bring in the aerial photograph of the guy's house, and he goes, that's your house. If one American is hurt in this withdrawal, we know where it is.

You know, I love America, I do too. Always have, and I'm a history major, and I've read the news since I was a teenager. I know, not from traveling as well as other people perhaps, but I know what the rest of the world is like and I'm old enough to have studied the history of it going back to the 60s. I have a good perspective on this country versus every other country. These, so many of the young people today, they have no interest in even finding out. They have this idea in their head that they live in a terrible place that's worse than every other way. They could

just get out. That would be the thing. Just get me the fuck out of here. Good fucking luck even with all our problems. No, I will always be with the, you know, I like America. It's got its issues for sure, but we don't need a revolution. We need to fucking fix it. Fixing is different. Now, will I go about all the fixing ways he's doing it, invading Greenland, et cetera? No, but I'm willing to see where it goes.

I will never be willing to concede that he should be there in the first place because you really shouldn't be a guy I will never be willing to concede that he should be there in the first place because you really shouldn't be a guy who doesn't believe in elections results. That's a no-brainer and one thing that I can't give on, but he's there. I live in the present. It's funny, Michael, these people, they come up to me all the time when I'm out, and it's like, oh my God, Bill, what are we gonna do?

And I'm always like, get a fucking grip. Look around you. You're in a fucking restaurant, you're eating a fucking $800 dinner. Shut the fuck up. When your life actually goes in the toilet, then tell me. But don't confront me with this cognitive dissonance between oh my God, what are we going to do?

And you're a cushy fucking life. There are some people who are going to be hurt, like perhaps by what Trump is doing, the people who can't afford eggs now. I didn't see him solve that problem. Well, you know what you proved? You said the media is not supporting you or whatever, but 31 years, you didn't need them. Didn't need them. And now more 31 years, you didn't need them.

Didn't need them. And now more than ever. You don't need them now. More than ever now. Yeah. It's interesting, they let the podcasters into the press room now. I know, I applied.

I don't know if I'll get in. Oh, I think you will after this. I think you will. I would love to. That would be like a milestone. You know what else was a milestone for me? I can actually arrange that. Could you please?

Well, at least a conduit right to the top, please. I really mean it. I would be very appreciative. Oh yeah. Any favor that you have. It's not even my daughter's wedding and I'll do whatever you want if you can get me in. You know the other thing that was really satisfying to me,

three days ago, I had Rudy Giuliani on my podcast. How's he doing? Well, he was great. He was a terrific sit down, it was just great. Yeah, for me, it's like came full circle. This is the guy that wanted to put me away for a hundred years. You know what he said to me? He says, Michael, I've been watching you for 30 years. He said, I really think what you're doing is real. He said, I respect you for getting out of that life and turning your life around. And

that, it meant something to me coming from him because I knew we were badly on opposite sides. Right. For people who don't know, in the 90s he was the prosecutor in New York, and then he was the mayor. He was a great mayor. Come on, after 9-11 he did a great job, America's mayor, he was great.

Yeah. He's a great leader. That, to me, that's the formula. A Republican moderate, which he was then, in a blue place. When you find that, like Republican governors in blue states, Larry Hogan and Maryland or others, it just works because they can't get too far right because it's a blue state.

But they're not full of bullshit, nonsense. So their popularity is always like 80%. So can we do that here? I was gonna say, can we just fucking get that formula here? Well- In California. Oh, in California. Yes. That could happen here in California. That's exactly what California needs.

Absolutely. And I say that and I like Gavin Newsom a lot, don't even start the argument, but no, I was hoping at some point he would moderate to the center. It doesn't look like it's happening. So I can like somebody personally, but- Taking his heels in. Yeah, as all the Democrats are. Looking for 50 million to fight Trump while the city is burning. Well, we have done this podcast on land that rightfully belongs to the Chumash tribe

I'm not gonna I would like to apologize Yeah for us just being here before we go off the air. Okay. Do you have anything you want to plug before I? Know I mean we had a great glass of wine again the book and your mouthia Democracy. Where do we find your podcast? Anywhere. Your very popular podcast. My podcast is on YouTube and Rumble and everywhere else like you. And the book, Mafia Democracy. Promise me you'll read that book. At least breeze through it.

I want you to read it because it makes a lot of sense. I will. I don't want to get into all now before I get carried away. I like Mafia books and movies. Trust me. And then say, you know what, you're full of shit, or I agree with you. No, no, no. Well, I already know what I think about you,

that's full of shit, and I agree with you, and it's a healthy dose of me. That's what makes friends, you know? That's right. I thought when your time came, Michael, Senator Colleony. You got that down. You sound just like him. No, no, no, apologize. You got that down. He sounds just like him.

No, no, no, I apologize. That's my life. I refuse to dance on the end of strings held by big shots. Now when all the calls checked out, you don't know who it is. You got it down. What's the other... You got it down.

I'm going to do the other line, but okay. I did the other line? You got it down. I got to tell you. You're going to do the other line, but okay. I did it, Pop. I checked it. You were great, Bill. Thank you. That is amazing. That's for you.

That is awesome. Oh, there's Chaz. There's Chaz. Marlon. Paul Sorvino. Oh, Phil. That's the guy who I jerked off into a tissue. That's the guy.

Yeah. Clowendo.